Football fan groups have called on FIFA to halt ticket sales for next summer’s World Cup, warning that the “extortionate” prices are a “monumental betrayal” of the event’s tradition of being accessible to all.
The main ticket draw for the tournament — which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer — opened on Thursday (11), offering fans the first chance to buy tickets since last week’s draw determined which teams will face each other in the first round.
FIFA also informed member federations of ticket prices for their respective quotas.
According to price lists distributed by several football federations, “economy” tickets for the World Cup final will start at US$4,195 (R$22,800), rising to US$5,575 (R$30,200) for “standard” seats and US$8,680 (R$47,000) for “premium”.
A “standard” ticket for the group stage game between Qatar and Switzerland in Santa Clara, California, will cost US$380 (R$2,060). A “standard” seat at Croatia’s opening match against England in Dallas will cost US$500 (R$2,711), while “economy” tickets — which are expected to be scarce — start at US$265 (R$1,437).
Game ticket prices vary between matches depending on location and participating teams. Nearly two million tickets have already been sold in pre-sale raffles, many costing hundreds of dollars.
FSE (Football Supporters Europe), an organization representing fan groups across the region, called on FIFA on Thursday to halt ticket sales due to prices reaching “astronomical levels”.
“This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the fans’ contribution to the spectacle that it is,” the FSE said, adding that ticket sales should be halted “until a solution that respects the tradition, universality and cultural significance of the World Cup is found.”
The FSE said that, based on the guidance it received, a fan would have to spend at least US$6,900 (R$37,400) to follow their team from the opening game to the final, almost five times the equivalent cost compared to the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
FIFA has already been criticized for its decision to introduce variable pricing for some World Cup tickets, a system in which prices are set according to expected demand. The entity also created its own resale platform, in which it will take 15% of the sales price from both the buyer and the seller.
FIFA expects to generate revenue of more than US$11 billion (R$59.7 billion) in the four-year period ending with the World Cup, up from US$7.6 billion (R$41.2 billion) in the previous cycle. The tournament has been expanded to include 48 teams, up from 32 in Qatar.
Speaking on stage in Washington last week as he accepted FIFA’s inaugural “peace prize”, US President Donald Trump congratulated FIFA president Gianni Infantino on record ticket sales. “I can report that we have sold more tickets than any country anywhere in the world at this stage of the tournament,” Trump said.
FIFA was contacted for comment. The entity has already stated that its ticket pricing policy “reflects current market practice for major sporting and entertainment events in host countries” and that the fees on its resale platform “are in line with industry trends in North America”.
